It ain't pretty, but if you have a Fireface 800, you can send 8 channels in via analog ins, another 16 via ADAT, sum them in TotalMix and listen on the headphone out of the FF800. If you configure it to sum the inputs down to the headphone output by default, you don't need a computer attached to it.

Currently using the Ashly LX-308, but am looking for a nifty in-line Headphone amp I can just plug into the outs one at a time to check for nasty things while tracking.
I great option for this is the ATI 8mx2 - great sounding pre with built in mix w/headphone
Good Luck

Wait wait wait....your saying that this $1600 recorder doesn't have a headphone output?!

What the heck? I have been seriously looking for a used HD-24XR and now I don't know. Wouldn't it have been fairly simple to have had a headphone amp in there? And I could live with only center, hard left, or hard right, but I guess there isn't any pan control either right?

Let's assume that I have a 12-channel mixer with another 12 channels of other pres, in stereo pairs. If I have all 24 channels running, is there a really cheap (<$200 hopefully?) monitoring solution? If not I'm afraid I'm out of the running for an HD-24.

Nope. No headphone output. I used a Roland line mixer at first and it worked great. Then, I moved to a Behringer DDX3216, which also worked well and I would mix monitors and sometimes FOH through it as well. Finally, I went to an M-Audio Profire Lightbridge to Digital Performer, Logic Studio or PT MP depending on what I wanted to end up in. That worked very well indeed on a Macbook Pro.

Finally, I just moved to two Metric Halo 2882s with an RME Octamic and sold the HD24. I don't know that my recordings are any better, but I carry less stuff.

The Roland line mixer was probably the easiest and cleanest sounding of all the solutions I tried.
Edwin

i use a A&H mixwizard to monitor. when i record other musicians here and they need headphones mixes, the A&H takes care of all that as well. its only 16 channels but i never need any more than 13 or so tracking at the same time.

Wait wait wait....your saying that this $1600 recorder doesn't have a headphone output?!

What the heck? I have been seriously looking for a used HD-24XR and now I don't know. Wouldn't it have been fairly simple to have had a headphone amp in there? And I could live with only center, hard left, or hard right, but I guess there isn't any pan control either right?

It's a recorder, not a mixer. Why would you expect it to have summing and headphone outs?

My setup is similar to yours. My solution was to use a M-Audio Lightbridge and Laptop with PTMP. I now consider PT/Lightbridge my main recorder and the Mackie SDR2496 my backup unit. I send parallel ADAT signals from the AD cards in the Focusrite pres. Wordcock everything. Works like a charm. I also MIDI'ed up the Lightbridge and the SDR, so when I pres F12 on my laptop to start the recording the Mackie follows chasing MTC...cool..

After spending a considerable amount of time researching all my options and listening to advice from a lot of the generous guys on this forum I put together a Rack with 2 x HD24's, 3 x Focusrite Octopre's (24 ch's), 3 x 8ch Mic Splitters (24 ch's) from Crimson Audio in CA, a 2 sp UPS backup powers a Furman AR1215 and everything is clocked by an Apogee Big Ben..I am able to Monitor via a Roland M-480 48 ch 6sp Line Mixer direct from the Outputs from both HD24's and works great and there are 2 of these on ebay as we speak!!
My main Rack "A" is an 18sp Shock Rack from Audio Dynamics bought via Teptronics in NYC with the back lid that clips onto the side of the rack and turns into a worktable. Rack "B" is a SKB 10sp US Roto Rack (the new ones with proper rack rails and front and rear lids) which contains the Roland M-480 Line Mixer and a 4 space Rack Drawer and Rack "C" which is another SKB which contains 3 x Crimson Audio 8 ch x 2 sp Mic Splitters and a 4sp Rack Drawer. I designed a wiring system using ELCO connectors on rear rack plates that was custom built for me by Roger Cane of Cane Audio Systems on Staten Island NY. Roger is a veteran of this business and his work is amazing and is very much over built. I will put up some pictures on this Forum as soon as I can and have to point out that I don't think I could have done all of this without the knowledge freely given by the dedicated contributors of this great Forum!!!
cheers
idave

I built my own splitter about 4 years ago using the Crimson Audio transformers and think they sound great. I bought a bunch of Horizon 4 channel splitters for cheap, and ripped out the guts, reiwired and replaced with Crimson Audio Transformers. I personally think they sound very good.
I wished at the time they would have sold the rack mount unit - I would have just bought that and saved myself some work.

After I got my HD24, I too struggled with the "monitoring" problem. Initially I just used my Mackie Onyx 1620 board, and this worked pretty well (EQs, AUX busses and inserts were handy for spinning up decent cue mixes). But I did find it rather cumbersome to lug around the board.

I figured there had to be a better, affordable, and more PORTABLE solution. I looked into various rackable line mixers, such as the Alesis Multimix 12r, and Rane SM82S. Then I stumbled across a Mackie LM3204 rack mixer on eBay.... jackpot!

The LM3204 is a 5 rack-space line mixer with 16 stereo channels (or 32 seperate inputs), EQs, 4 Aux busses, headphone out, and most of the features you would find in a old-school Mackie board. But I can pack it easily around in a rack with my HD24, along with a TC M300 FX unit, and patch bay. I can spin up some smokin' cue mixes (4 independant ones at that) while tracking and overdubbing, and am pretty happy overall with the setup. I rarely need to monitor more than a dozen or so tracks at a time, so I find 16 channels more than adequate for my needs.

Unfortunately Mackie no longer makes the LM3204, but they can be found used on eBay for $100-$300... you don't see them a lot, but patience and perseverance will pay off

I just saw one of those line mixers go on ebay Monday for $250 + $80 shipping. I almost bought it for future use with an HD24 or equivalent (after reading about it here) but I don't have the funds right now.

$330.00 USD delivered for a M480 sounds like a great deal.
24 stereo line inputs in one 19" box is very cool.
We have a few of those line mixers -- they are only used for non-critical monitoring of portable multi-track recordings

I just saw one of those line mixers go on ebay Monday for $250 + $80 shipping. I almost bought it for future use with an HD24 or equivalent (after reading about it here) but I don't have the funds right now.

Don't fret, it went to a fellow "slut" with a couple of HD24s to monitor.
By the way, it was mint, never racked

Before that I used my mackie or mixwiz.
In a pinch, I have taken the line outs into a personal headphone amp, one channel at a time.

I've known the owner of Crimson for 20 years. He is a great guy and builds killer transformers.

Crimson builds transformers for lots of OEM companies. Rolls, St Louis Music, Horizon, Rapco and Shure are a few I've seen being produced in the Crimson factory. It's all old school hand wound technology and craftsmanship.

There are some other "Big Brand" names that get bantered around here, Crimson makes their parts too.

Give'em a try. If you think they suck they will give you a refund. Great people there and great products. Try'em!

I own (4) 8ch Crimson Splitters that I am very happy with so far!!
cheers
dave

Quote:

Originally Posted by foldback

I've known the owner of Crimson for 20 years. He is a great guy and builds killer transformers.

Crimson builds transformers for lots of OEM companies. Rolls, St Louis Music, Horizon, Rapco and Shure are a few I've seen being produced in the Crimson factory. It's all old school hand wound technology and craftsmanship.

There are some other "Big Brand" names that get bantered around here, Crimson makes their parts too.

Give'em a try. If you think they suck they will give you a refund. Great people there and great products. Try'em!